Second Week in Utah

 Get ready for a huge photo dump as I share our week's activities here in Utah...

Last Sunday, we attended church with the Housemans in Lehi.  (in back are Matthew and Ryan, then Steve and me.  In front is Lori, Alison, and Rich) and then we drove to Salt Lake for a Lambson sibling get-together at Dave's house

(Steve, Cal, Jeff, Darla, Maurine, Michelle, Jo, Dave, Sarah)

We spent Sunday night through Tuesday morning with Michelle and Mike in Grantsville and stopped in to visit the Doris and Elliott Morris (and their adorable dog, Wallie) in Stansbury Park after we left Michelle's

We drove back down to Spanish Fork to be with Kirsti, Ryan, Alice, and Ivan for a couple of days.  We visited an all-abilities park nearby Tuesday afternoon.  Alice loved it!

Wednesday morning, Steve, Kirsti, and I drove Alice up to stay with grandma GiGi for the day and we stopped in at the BYU bookstore for a new BYU car decal (we lost the old one when our back window broke a couple of months ago).  We visited the Provo Cemetery next - to look for Steve's grandpa's and maybe his great-grandmother's grave.  We were successful with grandpa, but we will have to do some more research for great-grandmother's resting place.  We drove back to Spanish Fork on old State street highway and saw that the very first apartment that Steve and I had - an old motor hotel in Springville - is still standing and still being used as apartments.  Later that day, in Spanish Fork, we also found the first house that Steve lived in until he was three.  And, we went on a walk around Kirsti and Ryan's neighborhood after dinner.

Thursday, we left the Merrills around noon and headed north, stopping first in Orem to see Matt and Ruth Chatterley, Steve's dear high school friends.  Then, we drove up to Liberty where Maurine and Cal live and stayed for a couple of days.  They took us on several drives around Ogden Valley and the views were just gorgeous.  They are high enough in elevation that spring has just started there.  They sure do live in a beautiful part of Utah!

Our drive up to Powder Mountain ski resort in the east part of the valley

Spring flowers at Maurine's place

David O. McKay's childhood home in Huntsville in the south part of the valley

Causey Reservoire in the south east part of the valley

Driving up North Fork behind Ben Lomand (mountain) in the west part of the valley.  Sandy, their dog, came along on this ride...

We said goodbye Saturday morning and returned to Sarah's in Ogden.  We stopped at the home of Moana and Steve Burns who live in North Ogden.  We have known the Burns family since early in our Columbia days and their kids played with our kids.  (from left to right:  Moana, Steve, Greg, Patrick, Phil, Heather, Telisa - not there were Katie and Rob).  We didn't stay long since all the kids were there to help build more shelves in Moana's garage for her mother's day present.

At 4:00, we drove down to the Salt Lake airport to pick up Steven who flew in for little Ivan's blessing later today.  After dinner at In and Out, Sarah took us on a tour of the Nature Center where we visited the critters and then walked on some of the trails.  We finished the evening with s'mores around a campfire in Sarah's back yard.  

Sarah painted this critter on this beaver-gnawed tree.  

a beaver lodge on the property

Movies/Shows watched this past week:

The Year the Earth Changed, My Octopus Teacher, three episodes of Relative Race (season 2), and one episode of Top Chef in Italy at Kirsti's.  Soul at Maurine's (neither Cal nor Maurine had ever seen it).

We have had a super time here in Utah.  But, I confess, I am getting travel weary and I am looking forward to returning home this coming week.  Beckie is our hero for watching Sally and Linus back home and, happily, we have had doggie fixes while here - with Sandy, Maurine and Cal's dog, and with Bones and Lily here at Sarah's